Unfortunately, we can’t go to visit them, but we can make “virtual visits.” Let me explain: I can picture thousands of us praying for these men during Lent and asking angels to attend and minister to their needs. As angels took care of Jesus in the wilderness and in the Garden of Gethsemane, we can ask for angels to care for all three men. Angels delivered Peter from prison! Along with praying, each time we do something for them — write a letter on their behalf, post information about them on social media, or make a donation, that too is a “virtual visit”.

Prayer requests for Pastor Saeed Abedini, Amir Hekmati, Bob Levinson:

– Quick release

– Angels will be present and comfort them

– Good health

– Favor with the guards and other prisoners

– Comfort for their families

– Great sleep and peaceful dreams

– Enough food and water

– Provision for all needs and their families needs

Let’s commit to praying for Pastor Saeed,

Amir Hekmati, and Bob Levinson,

every day during Lent.

An angel from heaven appeared to him

and strengthened him. Luke 22:43

If you have already made a commitment for Lent, please consider including this Lent request.

Recently, one of my close friends had an experience that I found inspiring. I asked her to write about it so that I could share her story with you; I pray that it challenges you like it has challenged me.

My Friend’s Story

After a long day at a home with my children, my husband gave me a much-needed break. I went to a restaurant with my Bible and journal in hopes of being rejuvenated. When I got there, I saw a nice booth by the window in the bar section. I decided to do my reading and journaling there, though it seemed funny to me to have my “quiet time” in a bar. While I was there, I ordered something to eat. When the bartender delivered my food, I struck up a conversation with her. After chatting for a few minutes, I asked her if there were anything I could pray for her about. She looked somewhat surprised and sat down across from me. Then she said, “No one has ever asked me that before.” She seemed genuinely touched. She then proceeded to tell me about some financial struggles she and her husband were having. I asked, “Would it be OK if I prayed for you right now?” “Sure” she replied, so I prayed specifically about the things she had mentioned.

~

In the months that followed, I continued to think about the bartender. Gradually, I started to feel that the Lord was leading me to give her one thousand dollars, money that I had been saving (for a long) time in my benevolence fund. I decided I would visit her at the bar and give her the money. It had been eight months since our first encounter, so I wondered if she would remember me. I decided to enclose the cash inside a card so I could write her a note. In the card, I told her what my life was like because I knew the Lord. I also enclosed a short essay that I had written, explaining how much God loves us, along with my phone number. I wrote that I would be happy to answer any questions she might have, but that there was no pressure to contact me.

I was very nervous about going to see her, but I went anyway. When I arrived, I sat down and waited while she was with other customers. When she got to me, I asked, “Do you remember me? I was here several months ago.” At first she gave me a blank look, but then she said, “Oh yes, you were my angel who prayed for me.” I was really surprised by this, but I was pleased that she remembered me. I gave her the card and asked her to open it on her way home.

I left the bar feeling exhilarated. It was so wonderful to follow through on what I felt the Lord was asking me to do. I never did hear from my bartender friend, but I know that her life (and mine) is different because of how the Lord used me.

Good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden. 1 Timothy 5:25

For He will command His angels concerning youto guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands…. Psalm 91:11

David Young, a minister in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, lived through a tornado on Good Friday, April 10, 2009. The following is an excerpt of his story. The full story is in the “comment” section of this post. (Used with permission)

Angels performing ballet. Unbelievable, I thought. This can’t be real. I was lying on my side wrapped around a tree like a koala bear looking straight up into the eye of an F-4 tornado. And the debris at the top of the funnel looked just like angels gracefully performing ballet.

How ironic. Those few seconds in the eye of the tornado may have been the most peaceful seconds of my life. It felt transcendental and sweet. That is, until the back wall of the tornado slammed against me, hurling two-by fours, trees, and sheet metal at 200 miles per hour.

Here I was caught on the trail in the middle of a tornado. It was Good Friday, and my mind was distracted…. So this is what’s inside a tornado, I remember thinking. You feel, at the same time, both all alone and totally immersed in the love of God. I mean that literally. In the eye of the storm, there is no one else, and as far as you can tell, the entire world is now gone. Nothing looks familiar, and you sense that you have already died and gone to heaven. The peace, the beauty, and the overwhelming view up the vortex above all lead you to feel an intimacy with God.

I felt loved in the eye, and even now that feeling moves me to tears. It’s like going to heaven and seeing the book of Revelation. It’s like waking up in Alice’s Wonderland, Deep Space, and your mother’s womb all wrapped into one. There is no yesterday, no tomorrow, and no worries. Just peace, calm and incredible beauty. In the eye of the storm, you may not even be you any more.